Middlesex 315 (Geddes 59, Davies 54, du Plooy 52, Chappell 4-55, Tickner 2-52, Thomson 2-44)
Derbyshire lead by 97 runs
Derbyshire did extraordinarily well to enforce the follow-on today against Middlesex, the first time that they have managed to do so against this opposition.
Yet my assertion of last night still holds. I do not think the pitch has sufficiently deteriorated to allow us to take another nine wickets tomorrow and be able to force a win.
The lead is 'only' 97 runs and of course, every run past that effectively counts double, as we have to make them. If I had seen signs of increased turn or any consistent form of lateral movement today, I would have been more optimistic, but I suspect this time tomorrow we will be praising another battling performance, rather than one that has resulted in the win points.
We will see, but it should take nothing away from Derbyshire in this match. Middlesex are a good side with some very fine players. We have dominated proceedings and can be very proud of the collective effort so far.
Zak Chappell bowled splendidly today, as did Blair Tickner and they were supported by some excellent catching. Alex Thomson also had a good day, with two wickets and a stunning catch to start the ball rolling, with the dismissal of Ryan Higgins. Yet the relative ease with which the lesser known Davies, Cullen and Geddes dug in suggested that it may need a howitzer and rocket launcher to get through the visiting line up tomorrow.
I thought Brooke Guest kept splendidly today, one leg side catch especially noteworthy, but he set the tone in the field and both Madsen and Jewell were sure when opportunities came their way. Andersson too has a good pair of hands and is making a name for himself, especially at gulley.
We will see how things go. I would love to see us conclude a solid, professional performance with a win, but my head tells me that it is unlikely. We need a muggy morning, a lot of swing and radars firmly locked on from the outset, as well as holding on to chances when they come.
It makes for a gripping final day in which, at least, we are firmly in the box seat.
Superb effort. Half expected us to bat again which would have been wrong as this way we can't lose and can only add pressure. The wicket probably won't do enough but either way it's a promising performance.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much eco your thoughts on the last 3 days Steve. I do not see the likely outcome being a Derbyshire victory, but do rate our chances at about 20%. By lunch we will know whether realistic thoughts of victory should be held. For me we would need to pick up at least 3 more wickets.
ReplyDeleteFrom a Middlsex perspective, they will need to bat at least 10-15 overs after tea. Assuming ~100 runs a session, they would only have a lead of around 100 at tea.
Sadly I’ve got a little less hope of us winning then I had yesterday. I think you’re exactly right about the wicket. It hasn’t deteriorated enough to force a victory. But still a fantastic team performance over 3 days and if we did manage 2 or 3 wickets in the first hour we might still get a well deserved win
ReplyDeleteSame as in previous years. The pitches at Derby for 4 day I suspect will make it very difficult for us to get enough wins to get promotion. Bowled as well as we could do really after another excellent batting display. If a team isn’t rolled over in the first innings at Derby when there is some green on the pitch then the likelihood is that each match will be a draw.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed for early wickets which will give us a chance of a fully-deserved win. Even if we don’t win this is a very encouraging performance as we have dominated a decent team.
ReplyDeleteA slight worry about bowling injuries - Reece went off for a while yesterday and Andersson didn’t bowl. With Moore and Dal out injured this risks restricting choice for the next match....
Having chosen 2 spinners (plus Lloyd) and saying we would have batted first, given the choice, we're clearly hoping for turn on the last day.
ReplyDeleteIt's another hybrid pitch, and MA said at one of the forums that only having used them previously for one day games, they really didn't know what to expect. At least we're trying to produce more of a result pitch.
If there is enough help for our spinners, then hopefully we may have a chance for a win here.